If It's Not One Thing it's Your Brother
by Rosie.Just Rosie
Summary: After so long of only seeing the tough side of Dallas Winston, the guys finally get to see his soft side: his sister, Phoenix. Because of her past life and Dal's protectiveness through sheltering her, she's never known what a true family is. But when she runs into a smart-mouth Greaser, she starts to believe he can show her. Though not everything is as perfect as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys! This is a new one that I worked on over the summer and I finally got it up! So enjoy!**_

"Hey Greaser girl!"I hear a wolf whistle from behind me._ Oh great. Socs. _I duck my head and keep walking, only 11 blocks."I'm talking to you Grease!"

"Oh really? Couldn't tell!" I throw over my shoulder. Just then I realized how dark and deserted the street is. The cherry red Camero cuts me off, trapping me between it and the fence to my left. Before I can even attempt to run, a set of iron arms go around me. I start fighting, kicking & clawing at the arms. I thrash around as hard as I can, but the arms are too strong. I use screaming as a last ditch effort, but all it gets is a blade to my throat,"Ah, uh-uh."He waves his finger in my face,"What's your name sweetheart?"I just glare at the group surrounding me, and fight some more. The Soc holding the knife to my throat jerks my chin up,"I asked you a question." His boozy breathe suffocates me.

"Screw. You."I stare him down, watching the wheels turning in his head. Suddenly, his hand flies up and smacks me across the face with so much force, I go tumbling out of the other Soc's arms to the ground. I don't waste anytime scrambling up.

The main Soc, the one that hit me, knocks me to the ground,"Help!"I start screaming and yelling and flailing. I'm not stupid, I know exactly what happens to girls like me when some Soc's get drunk and go over the tracks to have some fun. His hand goes over my mouth to muffle my screams. It tastes like stale alcohol and cigarettes. I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I fight to turn my head to look up the street from where I came from. I scream louder and louder, hoping that the people will hear me. As the two figures get closer, I recognize my favorite tow-headed, broad-shouldered guy. I start calling for him,"Dal! Dally, help."I scream for my brother. Under the streetlight, his head snaps in my direction. He makes a motion to the shadows, and comes barreling across the street toward us. Finally, I feel the weight of the guy holding me down, lift. Dal tackles the guy, and I hear several sickening thuds, each one of the blows landing. Each one of the Soc group comes at my brother, but he's two times their size, making it easy for him to throw them off. He stops beating the guy that held me down, to in return fight each of them off. I force myself to my feet and try to catch my breath. Once they all back away, up against the fence, Dal goes back to slugging the head Soc. I look down at the guy, whose now layin' in a puddle of blood.

"Dal! Stop! You're gonna kill him!" I yell and tug on his leather jacket. A few more hits later, he grabs the guy by his neck and holds him against the pavement.

"Don't ever come over those tracks again. You hear me? And if you _ever_ touch my sister again, I won't stop."I can tell by the way his words slur that he's drunk. Dal holds him there for a second before letting go. He drags me along behind him. We cross the street and start down towards Buck's. Dal whistles and a super skinny blonde girl, wearing too much make-up and not enough clothes, comes slinking out of the shadows. She wobbles in her red heels, which are sky-high, as she walks. I don't bother asking who she is, Dal is with different girls all the time. Though, I had seen her slinking out of his room a few times.

"Can't you just stay out of trouble for one night?"Dal asks me. Annnd that's where his parental lecture ends. I trail behind them, as he and the blonde wander carelessly through the street singing drunkenly. I watch them, and try not to think about my bruising cheek.

Even a few blocks away you can hear the music from Buck's. It was almost always Hank Williams or Waylon Jennings. If Buck got really drunk, meaning he didn't care if someone touched his precious record player, someone would put on Johnny Cash. But tonight sounded like a 'Hey Good Lookin' kinda night.

Most everyone in town was at the rodeo tonight, so things would be quiet for a while. When everyone finally got bored, or they ran out of alcohol, they came to Buck's. I might actually get some sleep tonight. Doubtful.

I lose Dal as soon as we open the door, but I know exactly where they went. I was completely wrong about it being quiet, the entire house is full of drunk sweaty people. Who knew Tulsa even had this many people? I wander toward the kitchen, to try to find some aspirin for my burning cheek.

Finally I find some in the cabinet above the stove. I shake two out of the bottle and into my palm, before putting it back into the cabinet.

"Hey Nikki. How's your night?"Buck asks, his words slurring, handing me a beer.

"It's been fine."I say simply, hoping he'll go away. He just steps closer.

"You're supposed to ask how mine's been."I can fee his breath on my neck, I feel like I should push him away, but instead I just raise my eyebrows and take a swig of beer,"Well, it's been great,"He leans in closer, and lowers his voice, "But you could make it better."He tries to kiss me, but I push him back.

"Sorry Buck, but no. I'm not that kind of girl."

"Oh come on, sweetheart! Dal would never know."He wraps an arm around my waist. I slither away from his sweaty hands.

"I said no, Buck. Move on to some other poor girl." I turn to walk away, but he pulls me back close to him,"Buck! Let me go!"I growl in a low voice, but he's too drunk to care. Normally, he's harmless, only 'cuz he knows that Dally would beat the tar outta him and make it into asphalt if he touched me.

"Is he botherin' you?"He's the typical greaser. Long and lanky, with the hair slicked back with so much grease you can't tell what color it is. But there was something different about him. He looked dangerous, he walked in a way that said "I'm a force to be reckoned with...but I'm not all brawn". Until you looked into his eyes; they weren't shifty like most greaser boys'. You could see his playfulness in his eyes, you could also see the danger and there was something else there, but he looked away before I could catch it.

"I've got this, thank-you."I tell the greaser, turning my attention back to Buck.

"Hi, I'm Two-Bit."He doesn't leave.

"That's nice, I'm busy here. Would you excuse us?"I give him a fake smile, that's more like a grimace. He just runs his fingers through his hair, and turns away.

"Buck. No."I say one more time, but his grip on my arm only tightens. I fight against him some more, trying to free my arm,"Let me go!"I say louder. Buck pulls me close and tries to kiss me again.

"Buck, leave her alone why dontcha?"Buck's bloodshot eyes bounce as they focus on Two-Bit.

"Mind your own business Matthews. This is between her and I."He pushes Buck away from me, and up against the cabinets. Buck pulls his fist back, and clocks the other guy in the face, hard. I stand there staring as they scuffle around in the kitchen for a minute, but finally I back away, and mesh into the crowd of people.

The whole house reeks of alcohol and stale smoke. The swaying drunk people make it hard to get to the living room, and up the stairs. Dal and I rent rooms from Buck because it's cheaper than an apartment. Seeing as how Dal doesn't have a steady job, it's our best option. He won't let me get a job because he wants me to finish school, also because he thinks I'm too good to work in the diner. That's about the only job that a girl can get around here, besides a secretary which you need a college degree for anyway.

I lay down on my bed and cover my head with the pillow to drown out the noise downstairs. The heat from the already forming bruise on my cheek was making it hard to fall asleep. I feel the blood pulsing in my head, sending jolts of heat to my cheek.

A few minutes later someone knocks on my door,"Go away, Buck."I shout from my bed. The knocking persists,"I said no, Buck." Still someone keeps knocking over and over and over.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming."I open my door to the guy who fought Buck leaning against the doorframe.

"Hi."He now had a split lip and a bruise forming over his eye.

"Come back to tell me how you defended my honor?"I mock him with a bored expression.

"I didn't catch your name."He looks at me expectantly, with an idiotic grin on his face.

"Listen, Two-sense. I really don't have time for a guy like you, so you can just go back to your little drinkin' buddies and find some other poor 'damsel in distress'. Maybe she'll fall for your Prince Charming charade."

"...Bit. Two-Bit. And it isn't a charade, I'm the real deal baby. I was just comin' to tell ya that Buck won't be botherin' you anymore."It dawns on me then that he and Dal used to be close before he went away to prison.

"Well, thanks for that."He wipes the blood from his lip, and winces,"Buck did a number on you, huh?"I turn and head to my bathroom, and wet a washcloth. If there was one thing that I'd learned about Buck, alcohol didn't effect his ability to fight.

"Nah. You should see him. He ran away cryin' like a little girl." After wringing it out, I press the washcloth to his lip,"Thanks."He says taking it from me,"You look really familiar."

"Oh really?"

"I'm tryin' to figure out where I've seen ya before."

"Maybe if I wore a leather jacket and cowboy boots and had that stupid scar on my chin you'd recognize me."A smile spreads across his face.

"Don't forget the mile long rap."

"Oh, I already have one a'those. As Dal's sister I'm at least guilty by association...or by petty theft."He laughs hysterically.

"Why didn't you come to visit us when Dal went away? It's been...heck, its been 6 years."

"Because I-"

"Hey Nik, have you seen my..."Dal barges into my room, and looks between the two of us,"Two, quit hittin' on my sister! I swear you have no shame, do ya?"Dal jokingly puts him in a head lock.

"I wasn't hittin' on her, I was keepin' Buck away from 'er."Two-Bit insists, uselessly fighting against Dal's death grip.

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Lover Boy."Dal lets him go.

"Oh, shut-up Dal. What do you want?" The blonde that came here with Dal, pokes her head in the open doorway.

"Dal, come on. Let's go."She throws me a disgusted look.

"Where ya goin'?"I ask my brother.

"None'ya kiddo."Dal says. I stick my tongue out at him.

"Get lost, Dal. There's too many people in my room." He ruffles my hair, and on his way out puts Two in a head lock.

"You kids don't have too much fun now."He winks at me.

"Ew, Dal. Just go."I shew him out the door.

"Uh...Thanks Two-Bit."I say awkwardly.

"Yeah, no problem, Nik."He goes for the door, but stops short,"Uh, you mind if I go out the window? I'm pretty sure Buck's still lookin' for me."

"Go for it."He smiles at me with his one fat, bleeding lip. He struggles to get the window open,"Oh, its painted shut. Here, I'll help."Finally the window slides free, but I end up elbowing him in the mouth.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry,"He holds his jaw.

"You sure have a strong right hook, girl."Two jokes, the playfulness in his eyes seem to light up his face. Suddenly, my mind goes blank and I can't help myself. Going up on my toes I place my lips on his.

Even with a fat lip he's a good kisser. He pushes my hair out of my face and tucks it behind my ear. When I realize what I'm doing, I step back.

"Uh...I-I...uh,"I stammer, at a loss for words.

He winks with his good eye as he climbs through the window,"Don't be such a stranger Nik." And he hops out the window, leaving me touching my lips in dismay.

Not sure what to do, I lay on my bed and stare at the ceiling.

_**If you liked it then leave us a review! If you like really good Outsiders stories, check out Rays In The Storm. It's written by my friend...we share an account. Just read my profile, it'll make more more sense. :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hey guys! So I completely forgot about a song for the last chapter, but I've got one for this one. :) Face Down- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_**

Dal doesn't ever bother to knock, he just comes strolling in. I really should lock that door or something,"Hey! Wake up!"He pounds on my dresser as he walks past, and continues on to my window. He whistles a tune as he pulls up the shades on my window. I cover my face with a pillow.

"What do you want Dal?"I try to sound angry, but it just comes out a groggy mumble.

"Are ya coming to the races?"

"What time is it?"I groan.

"Eleven. Are you coming? You and Syl are my good luck charms."He gives me his best puppy dog eyes, which I guarantee I am the only person to see that face since he was 6.

"No, I'll see you at the rodeo."He smirks.

"You gonna sneak off with Two-Bit?"He makes kissey noises at me.

I throw a pillow at him,"Shut-up and go win your race, Dal." He throws the pillow back at me, still making kissey noises as he walks away from me.

At the rodeo Buck avoids me, but his shiner doesn't keep him from glaring holes into my back. Something is different about his glare this time, as opposed to the other times that I turned him down...No one disses him, especially in his own house, and gets away with it. I wouldn't be surprised if I found out that Two got cut up in a jump by Buck. All of his friends are as drunk as Cooter Brown, but I can tell by his eyes, even from a distance, that he is sober. He takes a swig from the same beer he's been nursing for the last hour, not once taking his eyes off of me.

I start to feel uncomfortable, so I turn to Kati,"I'm going to get another beer, you want one?"

"Uh, yeah. You know it's almost Dal's turn to buck, right?"She knows I never miss Dal.

"Yeah, I'll be back in time."I wander up through the stands of people, wiping the sweat off of my forehead as I go. In the middle of July in Tulsa, you can crack an egg right onto the side walk and it'd fry right up. Now take some bulls, a bunch of people, add some alcohol, stick them in a tent and it feels like someone left the portal to hell open.  
After standing in the line for beer for what feels like an hour, a familiar voice, calls my name,"Nik!"I turn around in time for Two to crash into me, pressing his lips to mine. I push him away from me.

"Two!"I yell at him,"What are you doing?!"

"I thought you liked me Nik, or at least it seemed like it last night."He had a casual smirk on his face, which made me want to punch him. Hard.

"What made you think that?"I give sass right back.

"Usually, when a girl kisses you out of nowhere, it generally means that she has some interest in ya. But I guess not."You couldn't tell by his sarcastic and playful tone, but it was more in his actual words, he was ticked.

"Well, what can I say? I'm a Winston after all, we don't always mean the things we do."I wink at him, grab my beers from the counter, and turn on my heel away from him.

On my way back to my seat, someone knocks the beers out of my hands. Buck grabs my wrist, and pushes me toward the wall of the tent,"You think you could get away with dissing me?"I look away from his face, trying to get away from him. His eyes are now slightly glassy and his breath smells heavily of beer."Huh?"

"Buck, you're hurting me. You need to stop, before you do something that you regret."I try pushing him away from me with my free hand.

"You should've thought of that before you dissed me, sweetheart."His words slur together as he leans closer to me.

"You're drunk. You need to go back to your friends."I try to reason with him, but reasoning with drunk people isn't exactly easy.

"They're not as much fun as you." He keeps leaning closer to me, but I keep pushing him back as much as I can.

"Leave me alone, Buck!"I shout, hoping to get someones attention. He puts increasing pressure on my wrist, I yelp in pain.

"Shh."He shushes me before jamming his lips against mine.

Finally, I'm able to get my elbow around to hit him straight in the chest as hard as I can. He stumbles back a few feet. I take my chance to leave, but he grabs me by my hair and yanks me back. He back hands me so hard I taste blood.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"That familiar voice calls again. Two guys pull Buck away from me, and pin him against the wall. Two-Bit helps me to my feet, then turns to Buck. He pulls his fist back like he's going to hit him.

"Two, don't! The fuzz is over there, they'll arrest ya in a split second."One of the guys says to him.

"No, no. We didn't get the chance to finish the fight last night, let 'em hit me." Buck taunts.

"I finished you and thats all that matters. Does it make you feel like a man to hit girls?"Two spits back at him.

"I don't know, why don't we ask your old man?"Buck smirks. Two starts at him, but two other guys hold him back.

"He's not worth it, Two-Bit."I stand in front of him, trying to get him to calm down,"All he is, is some drunk, worthless scuzz who can't get a girlfriend and his friends are only there until he runs out of alcohol."

The two guys let go of Buck, and push him in the other direction,"You better watch your back Matthews...and your girl...You never know what could happen to a pretty little thing like that."The way he looks at me makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It's a dark and crazed look...the only way it could be described is predatory.  
"If you touch her, it'll be the last thing you do. You won't just have me after you, Dally will hunt you down. Keep that in mind before you decide to do anything."Two glares at him as he walks away.

"You okay?"He tilts my cheek to take a look at it. He lightly touches it, I wince,"Yup, it's definitely going to dark shiner."  
"Did Dal leave already?"I ask weakly, my throat dry.

"Yeah, he and Sylvia disappeared about an hour ago."I feel the heat behind my eyes starting to build. From fear, from anger, from exhaustion. I don't want all of Dal's friends to see me cry, no one except Dally has seen me cry.

"Okay. I'm fine. I'm gonna head home."I turn away from them.

"Wait. You're not serious. You can't go back there, not after tonight."Two-Bit says.

"I'll be fine. He won't do anything, not with Dal next door."I try to convince him.

"What if Dal's not there? I can't let you go back there."

"Why do you care?!"I lash out.

He pauses for a second, like he's thinking of something. Then he leans forward and lightly places his lips on mine. He leaves them there for a few seconds. The guys hoot and holler around us. I can't believe I'm kissing him again. I really thought it was going to be a one time thing, but I could definitely get used to this.  
"That's why."He smirks at me.

"Reason enough for me. But...I have no where to go." Two doesn't say anything.

"Yes, you do."I recognize the guy as Darry Curtis, he gives me a small smile. He and Dal were buddies back in school. Mrs. Curtis was like a mother to Dal before she passed. I give him a nod of understanding.

"Thanks Darry."We start to head to their house. Two walks down the dark street beside me, our arms occasionally touching. Not crowding me, but still being there.

It's after midnight when we get to the Curtis's,"Can I use your phone?"

"Yeah, it's in the kitchen."Darry points in that direction.

"Thanks."I shakily dial the number at Buck's.

The phone gets picked up,"Hello?"I talk into the phone. There's so much commotion on the other end that I can hardly hear the person on the other side.  
"Hiya!"I would know that Boston accent anywhere.

"Kati! Hey, can you go upstairs and knock on the door to the right of mine? It's Dal's, and tell him that I need to talk to him."

"Sure thing girlfriend! I'll be right back." I hear her put the phone down, followed by more commotion on her end. As I wait for her to come back, I lean against the wall next to the phone, raveling and unraveling the cord around my finger.

A few minutes later she picks up the receiver,"I knocked on his door and no one answered, sorry Honey. What's wrong? You know you worried me nearly to death when you didn't come back."

I love Kati dearly, but if I told her what happened, most of Tulsa would know by morning,"Sorry, nothing's wrong, I was just calling to tell him where I was. Listen, if you see him, tell him I'm okay."

"Okay..."She says sounding puzzled,"Where are you?"

"I'm...at a family friend's house. Just had some catching up to do."I lie through my teeth.

"Okay. If I see him, I'll tell him."She shouts over the commotion,"Bye!"I hang up.

"There's a clean shirt in the bathroom."Darry says. I look down at mine, which has blood on it.

"Thanks."I find my way to the bathroom and change in the much too large shirt, obviously one of the guy's. I decide to tuck the shirt in so it doesn't look like I'm not wearing pants. I poke and prod at my tenderized cheek (ouch) before splashing it with cold water. My eye was already turning several shades of purple and my lip was swollen. I could tell that it was going to take forever and about a hundred pounds of foundation to get rid of this shiner. And that was just from tonight. The other side, from that Soc, didn't even compare. There was a scratch from his ring and a slight bruise.

All of the guys had cleared out while I was washing my face. When I came out it was just Two-Bit and Darry left. I sit on the other side of the couch from Two as Darry puts some blankets and a pillow in the recliner.

"I should get some sleep, I have to work in the morning, but make yourself at home Nikki."

"I'm so sorry for keeping you up, Darry."I apologize to him, noticing the circles under his eyes for the first time.

"Don't worry about it. Good night. If you need anything, I'm right upstairs." He gives me that small smile again, turns off the light and heads up the stairs.

Two and I just sit in silence for a few minutes before he stands up,"I should probably-"I grab his hand and give him a pleading look, hoping that he understands. I really don't want to be alone after tonight,"...stay with you."He hands me the pillow and a blanket, before spreading one out on the floor right next to the couch. I lay facing the back of the couch, away from Two.

I toss and turn trying to get comfortable, sighing when I finally give up,"Can't sleep?"Two's voice cuts through the dark and the silence.

"Nope."

"I can't sleep either, with all that movin' around over there."Two winks at me and gives me one of his joking crooked smiles."You don't have to worry about Buck. He won't get ya' while I'm around. He's too afraid of me."I can practically hear the smugness in his voice.

"He's gotten pretty close though, Two-Bit. And now he has even more reason to get me."I question him.

"Well, every time he's tried, I've taken care of him. Haven't I? I won't let anyone, especially not Buck, hurt you. I promise you."He looks into my eyes, willing me to believe him.

"Thank-you, Two-Bit." I pause try to decide whether I'm going to ask him about what Buck said. My mother's voice rings in my head, "Ladies don't pry." Which frankly makes me want to ask him more. Finally curiosity gets the better of me,"So, what did Buck mean when he said that we should ask your old man?" Two was silent. I could barely hear him breathing.

I look down at him laying next to the couch. The look on his face was stoic, he barely moved at all, his breaths shallow. Hesitantly, he answers,"He didn't mean nothin' by it. He was just messin' around."I could tell by the way he wouldn't look me in the eyes and the way he hesitated before he spit out the words that he was lyin'. He's not a very good liar.

The look in his eyes reminds me of a kicked puppy. All of the usual playfulness is gone, replaced by an anger so strong that I can feel it roll off of him a few feet away. I decide to not push it any further, I could feel him silently begging me not to ask anymore questions.

We lay in silence for a few minutes, leaving me to think about what Buck said. I have a few suspicions, each of them leaving me thinking of my own past. I can feel the fear that I've blocked out the last few weeks, start to creep back up on me. No, no. Push that out of your mind, Nikki. That's long gone, a thousand miles away. Nothing can hurt you here.

"Nik?"Two whispers pulling me out of my head.

"Hmm?"I mumble back, trying to put the thoughts away, some place where they won't bother me anymore.

"Um...Are we...goin' steady?"He asks quietly.

I laugh unintentionally, out of nervousness I suppose,"Um...I guess so."I don't feel scared or unhappy anymore, just on top of the world.  
"Ha! So you do like me!"He cracks his usual joke.

"I might."I tease back,"You know Dally won't like it much."

"Ol' Dal'll have to just get over it." Again, I can practically hear the smugness in his voice.

I pause for a minute."Two-bit, did I ever thank you for…well everything?" I ask him nervously. He's done more for me in a day than any other guy I'd met.

He rolls over and even in the darkness I can see his eyes gazing back at me. "You shouldn't have to thank me. No lady should ever be treated so poorly. Some guys just…don't understand that." He said softly and suddenly wouldn't look me in the eye. It almost worried me, like he knew from other experience; too much experience. He turned back to me and gave a small smile. "But it won't happen again. No guy is ever gonna hurt you, especially not me. And that's a promise I intend to keep." He said, pure determination in his voice.

He smiled at me, his eyes lighting up. I smile back and shut my eyes, and for the first time in a long time. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

_**I have the next chapter written already, so if I get a few more reviews I'll post it! :) Please review and tell me what you think! XOXO**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks, I got busy with finals. I've had this chapter written, I was just really lazy all week. Enjoy and please please please let me know what you think! **

I wake up to the sun shining brightly and what I assume is the normal chaos for the Curtis house. I rub the sleep out of my eyes, and look around. Most of the guys are either crammed in the kitchen at the table or out on the porch.

"Mornin' sleepy head."Soda calls from the kitchen.

"Morning."I step over a sleeping Two-Bit and head for the bathroom.

I hardly recognize my reflection. My cheek is a gross purple color, and my eye lid is swollen so my vision is narrowed. I look like one of those rough greaser girls...I guess I am one of those now. You know, I never imagined that I'd end up here. I was living the good life, I got anything that I ever wanted. Mostly... Just 3 months ago I was still angry at my brother, I didn't know the truth.

The front door slams shut and startles me out of my thoughts,"I can't find her! She didn't come back to Buck's last night! Two, was she with you? It was those dirty no good Socs. I swear if they laid a hand on her..."I hear the guys each try to tell him where I am, but he's not listening to them."Two, you have to help me find her."

"No need."I call out. I walk out into the hallway, and then around the corner into the living room. The look on his face was pure panic. Something I'm sure none of the guys have ever seen on his face. To be honest, I've only ever seen him that scared once.

"Nik? What happened to you?"He rushes over to me, gingerly touching my bruised cheek. I push him away, my anger boiling over.

"Buck happened."I say through gritted teeth, trying to control my anger. Hot tempers run in my family, it runs deep. It's almost like a value, like family comes first and all that. I have a temper to match Dally's. I really didn't want to fight with him here.

"Buck did this?"I see his jaw go tight, and his eyes ablaze in anger.

"If you hadn't ditched me to run off with your little girlfriend it wouldn't have happened! You just wanted to go off and sleep with Sylvia, without thinking about what could've happened! The last few months would've been nothing!"I shout at him, curling my fists into tight balls. He knows what I mean when I say that, he knows what I'm running from.

"Your little yankee friend thought you ditched her! How was I supposed to know you were in trouble?! For all I knew, you ran off with Two-Bit!"He shouts back fuming.

"Whatever, Dal! You don't want to admit that you cared more about getting laid than you did your own sister!"I could feel my face starting to get hot. All of the guys just stood there, wide eyed and very still.

"Well, you were just fine!"He yells at me.

"Does this look like I was fine to you?"I shout, pointing to my cheek,"If it weren't for Two-Bit, this would've been a lot worse. You're never there when I need you Dal! These aren't the only bruises that I've gotten from you not being there to protect me!"

"Nikki. Stop."He tries to keep me from going any further on that subject. His voice comes out threatening, but I know he won't do anything to me and I was too angry to stop.

"No! I came down here because I thought maybe, just maybe, you had changed, but I was wrong! It was stupid to even think that it could happen. You've go too much damn pride to care about anyone other than yourself!"I scream at him, tears of anger pooling in my eyes. I run out the front door before they get the chance to fall down my cheeks.

I hear the door swing over behind me,"Don't think I don't care about you, Phoenix! Would I have run in there freaking out because I didn't know where you were if I didn't care? I do care! It's you; you don't know how to react to being cared about! You lash out at people! You push them all away!"

I let out a sob, realizing the truth in his words."You're right, Dally, I don't know how to react to being cared about, because I've never experienced it! You LEFT me to face it alone, Dallas! I don't care if he didn't care about you! I cared! And I needed you, and you just up and left, letting me think you had died. So yes, Dallas, I don't know how to react to being cared about, because I've never felt it, and to be honest, it scares the hell out of me. Are you happy, now, Dally? Because this is all your fault!" I yell across the yard at him, on the porch.

"My fault? It's my fault that you won't let anyone care about you because of a few bruises? That's all on you, sweetheart!"His face is bright crimson.

"I learned from the best, Dallas!"I wipe the tears from my face. I give him one last vicious look before heading off.

I haven't lived here long, so I'm not sure where to go to be alone. I just walk up and down the hot streets of Tulsa, watching the heat waves roll off of the pavement. Finally, I reach the rodeo grounds, but last night was the last night of the rodeo. Except for a few sets of bleachers, it's just an empty dirt lot.

I sit down underneath the bleachers, hoping to find relief from the sun. Sweat trickles down my neck and back, just making me more miserable. My hands are still shaking from my fight with Dal. Looking down at my hands I realize that I have four little crescent shaped cuts on my palms. My head just falls into my hands limply, the cuts stinging from my tears.

"Hey, come'ere."Two suddenly appears out of nowhere, his arms go around me and pulls me into his lap,"Shh...It's okay."He tries consoling me, which only makes it worse.

I sit in Two-Bit's arms, sobbing until I have no tears left. My head pounds, and my eyes are bleary from crying. After sitting in silence for a minute, Two decides to break the silence,"You wanna tell me what that was about?"I shake my head.

"No. You wouldn't understand it, Two."No one could.

"I'll try. And if I don't, I'll just listen."I just shake my head. He makes me look at him,"We all have secrets , and you can't keep them bottled up inside for too long...They'll eat ya alive."That look comes back into his eyes again, the one that says he's seen too much. He knows it firsthand,"When you set yourself free, you'll feel okay."

"I haven't felt okay in a long time. The secret has already hollowed me out, Two. I don't think I'll ever be able to feel right again, you know?"I knew he did. The look of understanding on his face told me so.

He didn't really say anything, he just nodded his head somberly. In that moment, I could see his vulnerability. I could see the broken little boy and how he put his pieces back together. Almost like a lamp that had been shattered; you can always glue it back together, but it would never shine as bright, and you could still see the cracks. When I look into his eyes, I know it's okay. Somehow, he'd broken down my barrier without very many words at all. He got me to trust him. That should be a superpower.

"If I tell you, you have to promise me something...promise me that you won't run screaming into the night."

"And why would I do that?"His voice is playful.

"Because you're goin to think that I'm crazy. Just like my family."

"Well, you can't be to crazy, they ain't locked ya up in a padded room yet."I chuckle, admiring his ability to be carefree, even when he knows things aren't so good.

"There are things about me and Dal that no one else knows. Things that we swore we'd leave behind us, that's where Dally said they belonged. Things that no matter how much we fight with each other, brings us together." I say, instantly remembering the night that Dal left. Tears threaten to fall, but I try to fight them back.

"Things like what?"His voice is soothing, gently pressing me to keep talking.

"Our parents own the Winston cigarette company. They are very wealthy, meaning at stuffy dinner parties and luncheons we had to be their very proper children to be seen and not heard. Maybe it's something in the Winston blood, or maybe I learned it from Dally, we aren't very good at that. We also aren't very good at holding our tongues. Once they realized that Dal wasn't mild mannered enough to be their "proper" son, they disregarded him and put me on their pedestal."Once I started talking I couldn't stop, the whole truth came pouring out. For once I didn't lie about it.

"He and my dad butted heads...a lot. Dal started with stealing from the gas station when he was 11. Dad sure laid into him that first time. Though, he didn't need a reason to hit Dal. He knew how to not leave a mark, just in case people asked. Dad very rarely hit me. Dal stopped him when he could, taking up for me. When Dally started to fight back it escalated...They'd get in screaming matches that'd last for hours, and when Dal got older, dad couldn't take him on anymore. Dally knew he'd win every time, and so did dad, but I guess us Winstons are too stubborn to back down. He and dad couldn't stand to be in the house at the same time, so Dally stopped comin' home every night. They would fight every time he did. The last time he came home, he hadn't been home in a week, and I was scared. I went across the hall to go see him, and dad came in and started yelling. Dad sent me to my room. The next mornin' I woke up and Dally was gone. They pretended like they never even had a son named Dallas, I asked my mom where he was, where he went. She just told me it wasn't her job to watch him anymore."I feel the pain creeping back into my chest, the same pain from that morning.

"He left me with them, didn't even tell me where he was going. They said that he was missing, when people started asking."As I remember what comes next, the tears finally come spilling down my cheeks. "After a few months, a few police officers came and told us he was dead. That he had gotten into some sorta bar fight or somethin' and was murdered. I didn't get out of bed for weeks, sometimes in the middle of the night I'd go and just sit in his room."I laugh dryly, wiping away the tears,"I missed him so much. Who knew? That you could actually miss Dal...When Mom found out what I was doing, she locked his room off, because she thought it was unhealthy. Eventually, I got out of bed, and they went on living life like everything was perfect. I was left to be their perfect princess, but all I really wanted was for them to love me. They were never good at that...I don't even think that they really loved each other...They treated their marriage more like a business deal than anything. "He listened attentively to my story.

"So how'd you end up here?"He asks simply. Out of all the things to have a question about...that's it? Really?

_Mother was sitting out on the porch, reading some fashion magazine,"Phoenix, go get changed and we'll go shopping. How does that sound?"She sounds nervous, she never was a good liar._

_ "Uh...sure."I answer suspiciously._

_ "Excuse me?"She purses her lips, and scowls. _

_ "I mean...yes ma'am, that sounds great."_

_ "Better."She goes back to reading her magazine. _

_ I make my way up the stairs, on the way passing one of our maids,"Hi Gloria. How's your afternoon?"Mama was never kind to the maids, or the gardeners, she ordered them around like they were dogs. _

_ "It's alright. My arthritis ain't too good today."I could tell she was nervous. She was an older lady that had been working for us for as long as I could remember. She's probably been working here since before Dal was born. She practically raised us both...mama was always too busy with somethin' else. _

_ "I'm real sorry to hear that, Miss Gloria. Anythin' I can do to help?"I give her an empathetic smile. There's a racket at the top of the stairs,"What's goin' on?"_

_ "Your parents are adoptin' a baby from South America. They asked us to make up a room for him." She gave me a knowing look._

_ Tears fill up my eyes,"Dally's room?"I have to force the words. Dal just died, couldn't they wait?_

_ "Yes, Ma'am."I run up the stairs. _

_ "No! Don't touch his stuff!"I yell. _

_ "Miss Phoenix...Your mama asked us to. It's time darlin', its been 10 months since..."Our handyman, Mr. William puts his hand on my shoulder._

_ "Please. I just need some time...alone."He pats my shoulder, and motions to the other maids in the room._

_ Our new maid, Darcy, stops like she's going to say something, but keeps walking, and closes the door behind her. I lock it after she leaves. _

_ I fall on his bed, sobbing. I clutch my chest, begging for the pain to recede. I lay there, remembering when Dal and I were kids, and all the times we'd sneak down to the barn to ride the horses. _

_ "Why?! Why did you leave me Dally? It's not fair, you got to get out of here, only to die! What do I do without you? How am I going to get out of here?"I ask the darkness angrily. I beg for it to answer me, but I know it never will. My heart aches for my brother. He always knew how to help me, he always knew what to do. Since he died...I just don't know anythin' anymore._

_ There's a knock at the door,"Phoenix, Sweetheart, Come on out. We can talk about it. "My mother calls from outside. _

_ "Just go away. I don't want to talk."I grumble. I hear her footsteps clack away._

_ I really didn't want to be left alone with my thoughts either...but if those were my two options, I could deal with my miserable thoughts by myself. _

_ I go to his closet, and sit in the corner of it, where I used to go when Dal and Dad's fights got bad. I haven't been in here in months. _

_ Dals favorite leather jacket lays on the floor in the corner. He loved this jacket, more than life itself. He thought it was his good luck charm, ever since he won his first rodeo in it. He never went anywhere without the stupid thing...Strange...why would it be here? _

_ There's something brightly colored sticking out of the pocket. I pull it out...its a piece of paper from one of dad's yellow legal pads._

**_Nikki,_**

**_I'm sorry that I had to leave without saying goodbye. Dad kicked me out, he gave me 10 minutes to get my stuff, but I'm leaving this for you instead. He doesn't know about this. I'm not sure where I'm going but anywhere is better than here. I might go to California, or Cheyenne or I might even go back to Tulsa. Wherever there's a bus and a rodeo. Probably wherever I run out of money. I'm alive, dad is gonna tell you that I'm dead. But I'm very much alive. I left you money in the loft above the barn. If you want out, leave tonight. Take the money get on the next Greyhound away from there. Don't tell anyone where you're going, just go. This is your chance. If you' re happy, then stay. I love you, be careful. _**

**_ Dal_**

**_P.S. if you do come, bring me this jacket. _**

_ I was stunned. Is it true? My brother is alive. My best friend was never murdered in a bar fight? He's alive? Honestly, I knew us Winstons were stubborn...but damn. _

_ I had to laugh at my brother, for his note. The first time I've laughed in months...the first time that I've seen hope._

_ I came out of his room, and I acted like everything was normal. I told my mom that it was just a meltdown, and that I was fine. After dinner, I pretended to read a book in the den with my father. Finally, after they'd gone to bed, I grabbed Dal's jacket and grabbed the keys to the barn from the kitchen. _

_ "Where are you goin' at this time of the night, child?"I jump. _

_ "Miss Gloria. Dal...He's alive. I'm going to find him. I'm getting away from here. I'm running away."_

_ "You ain't gonna get too far with no money."_

_ "Don't you worry about me. Dal left me some money. I'll be alright, Miss Gloria."I hug her tight._

_ "Give me a call when you are safe. Okay darlin'?"_

_ "Yes, Ma'am. And you can't tell anyone about this okay?"She nods._

_ "Now go. Hurry, or you'll miss the bus."She shoos me out the door. _

_ I take one last look at my dark house, fighting the urge to go back to everything I know. But I know Dal would never let me do something that could get me hurt. So I guess my next question is...where to now?_

"I never got the chance to thank her for what she did for me, my parents somehow found out that she knew about me running away...And they fired her. My parents are still looking for me. More like hunting."I say.

"What happens if they find you?"Two asks quietly.

"They drag me home kicking and screaming. Make me marry their rich friend's son to build their empire."I say without emotion, almost like a robot.

"I won't let that happen, I promise. I-"He starts.

"Don't make promises that you can't keep. My parents have lots of money, and they know a lot of important people. They can and will drag me home if they find me."I stress it to him.

"Listen to me. I don't care what they have, they won't take you."He leans in and kisses me.

It was nice to have someone who was willing to fight for me for once, I definitely appreciate it but I know my father...and if he came for me, nothing could stop him, not even Dally.

**A/N: Please review! By the way the song for this chapter is Secrets by One Republic.**


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